1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a foldable chair. More specifically, the invention relates to a foldable beach chair, made of durable and flexible material, which collapses into a compact and light-weight portable chair.
2. Description of Related Art
Various foldable chairs have been devised which are portable and relatively compact. However, the problem with most conventional foldable chairs is that most are bulky or heavy and require an inordinate amount of effort to manipulate. The more lighter weight chairs, among the conventional foldable chairs, are naturally prone to structural limitations which prevent efficient and compact foldability, due to elements such as hinges, plastic ligaments, sleeves, etc. These elements usually deteriorate over time from rust, bending or repeated use, and provide a fear of structural instability within the mind of a respective user.
Other problems related to the conventional foldable chairs include the replacement of such elements as hinges, plastic ligaments, etc., which are usually difficult to find or unreasonably priced in the market place. A user of the conventional foldable chair is often left with the only reasonable option of disposing of an otherwise mint condition foldable chair. The foldable beach chair of the instant invention is lightweight and durable and does not suffer from the aforementioned structural limitations due to its unique way of collapsing which endows the foldable chair of the present invention with a unique compactness.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,764,225 issued to J. M. Sharpe discloses a collapsible piece of furniture which resembles a structural frame for a sofa. The back portion of the frame folds in a clockwise fashion and lay in a stacked configuration upon the seat portion. The arm rest portions are subsequently stacked thereon, following the removal of bolts and clamped connections at strategic support points. The resulting collapsible structure is rather long and bulky, however, and makes carrying quite difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,244 issued to Koehm discloses a folding chair which includes a triangular shaped seat support structure with couplings. The couplings are used to retain the legs of the triangular structure by pin or rivet connections. The foldable beach chair of the instant invention folds without the need of rivets or similar connections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,345 issued to Pierce et al. discloses a backpack chair provided with shoulder straps and a back rest. The chair is a conventional folding chair wherein the frame is formed of a series of interconnected sub frames which unfold in a manner which is quite cumbersome. U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,650 issued to Berman et al. discloses a fully collapsible portable lawn chair with similar foldable features of the instant invention. The chair employs sleeve-locked, flexible, "living" hinges intermediate certain straight members of the frame. This arrangement supposedly allows a second level of compacting. However, hinges, particularly plastic hinges, limit the degree of foldability and suffer fatigue as a result of repeated use. The sleeve covers the "living" hinge to produce a rigid support in the frame; but, sleeves usually have a tendency to slip and are cause for structural instability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,171 issued to Hollingsworth discloses a collapsible beach chair which is formed from a covering or mat, such as canvas. The chair is composed of four seat compartments which are attached at the seams in a cross pattern to create a dual seat and back portion. Adjustable straps are attached at the top and bottom sides of the respective seat and back portions for reclining. The seat folds in a way that one would fold a sheet of paper into four equal parts. When completely folded the chair is adapted to be carried in the form of a suit case. The structural features of this particular chair are lacking compared to the instant invention in that structural rigidity is not of particular significance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,182 issued to von Hoffman teaches a foldable chair with limited reclinable features. The chair sits on four studded rods having a seat portion and a back portion with back supporting left and right rods. The back portion is opened to a fixed angle, which is constrained by chain links. The links are attached at points on the respective left and right rods of the respective back and seat portions. The back portion folds in a clockwise fashion and is readily folded into an elongated configuration of narrow width via a back structural linkage system. The mode of operation is completely different to that of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,950 issued to Mann is similar to that of von Hoffman in that the mode of operation is completely different from that of the instant invention. A few variations reside in the fact that the foldable chair of Mann collapses inward and upward at the arm rests and folds inward and upward at the mid-point of the seat creating a compact structure. While there are many variations of foldable chairs cited in the above references, none of the references teach the design features of the invention as herein described.
The foldable beach chair of the instant invention is different in that it comprises a collapsible string-bar-connector assembly for reducing an otherwise rigid chair structure into a compact and light-weight foldable chair. This feature is neither taught nor suggested by the prior or related art. Thus, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.